What Could've Been

[Scott1980]

Speaking of Dionne: what about a better team? Ditto for Gilbert P!

 

[kmad]

Bobby Clarke without diabetes

 

[waingr0]

John Tavares - Speed (Still going to be a great player)
Alexander Ovechkin - Canadian

 

[JojoTheWhale]

Mark Howe with a different last name. Is his career exactly the same with 5 or 6 more years in the NHL? Does he ever get converted to a defenseman? Does he get the HHOF status he'll seemingly never get?

 

[jepjepjoo]

When thinking back to all the players that you've seen play, what players do you think could have been on a higher level if they had that one extra skill?

All of them.

 

[Hardyvan123]

Kovalev has hockey sense and skill oozing out his ears. What he needs is heart and desire.

My pick is Orr with real knees.
(In same breath, <3 Selänne <3 without injuries so you buggers would realize he's a top 50 )

Selanne is a top 50 guy in my book even with the injuries. I just bought the Hockey News top 100 all time (20 at each position) and realize that it is almost 100% NHL based but Selanne is under rated at 10th for RW's.

I would put him at 6 on the THN list right behind Howe, Jagr, Richard, Bossy and Lafleur for now and he might slip into the top 4 when it's all said and done IMO.

Selanne doesn't have the playoff success that the 5 guys listed above do but has an incredible international record and very good longevity as well.

 

[greatgazoo]

Andy Moog, if the Oilers hadn't drafted Grant Fuhr in '81.

 

[Hardyvan123]

Bobby Clarke without diabetes

Diabetes didn't really slow Clarke down at all it just affected his draft position coming out of junior.

 

[mobilus]

I don't think modifying physical attributes is what the OP was asking. Fixing Orr's knees, Lemieux's back, Clarke's diabetes or any other physical ailment isn't adding a skill. If he couldn't skate with his head up, I'd wish Lindros had Tie Domi's skull, but that isn't adding a skill either.

Now, if Gordie Howe had Pavel Bure's speed, or Chara had Paul Coffey's skating...

 

[pluppe]

me, with Wayne Gretzkys hockey sense...

 

[Nalyd Psycho]

Ed Jovanovski with strong hockey sense.

He had all the tools, amazing skater, great shot, built like a brick you know what house. And at times he'd be the most dominant defenceman in the NHL. Then he'd make some boneheaded breakout pass with 1 minute to go in a tied game that gives the other team a two on one. You eliminate the boneheaded gaffs, and you have a defenceman on Chris Pronger's level.

 

[Flambergius]

A 6'2" Saku Koivu would have been really interesting. Given his style and physicality, he would have benefited from size greatly.

(Realistically, though, Koivu's quickness and agility were part due to his smaller size. A big guy that quick would be a really interesting player right there, no additional specification needed.)

 

[Rhiessan71]

My pick is Orr with real knees.

Even just Orr with today's medical knowledge would be enough.
The "knee surgeries" he had in the early 70's would be considered barbaric and just short of being out of the dark ages by today's standards.

 

[Derick*]

Forsberg with feet

Thornton on anxiety medication

 

[markrander87]

Cam Neely without Ulf Samuelsson.

 

[jepjepjoo]

A 6'2" Saku Koivu would have been really interesting. Given his style and physicality, he would have benefited from size greatly.

(Realistically, though, Koivu's quickness and agility were part due to his smaller size. A big guy that quick would be a really interesting player right there, no additional specification needed.)

Just watch some Minnesota Wild games.

 

[DaveG]

My guess?
With TO still in the West at that time, they deal for Félix Potvin.

As good a guess as any. Could also have seen them going after Ranford, Fuhr or Joseph at the time, although Fuhr I would say would have been the least likely of the 3.

 

[MJB Devils23*]

Mario Lemieux anyone?

 

[charliolemieux]

Mario Lemieux anyone?

Actually ya.

Mario Lemieux with Gretzky's "hockey sense/radar" and Doug Gilmour's heart.

Now that would be unstoppable.


A genetically engineered T. Fleury/D. Gilmour/Gretzky/Lemieux/Bure/Neely combo would be sick.

 

[Dark Shadows]

Kovalev has hockey sense and skill oozing out his ears. What he needs is heart and desire.

My pick is Orr with real knees.
(In same breath, <3 Selänne <3 without injuries so you buggers would realize he's a top 50 )

Skill yes. Hockey sense? I disagree. Although I do think heart and desire were missing as well.

Often shoots when he should have passed. Passed when he should have shot. Stickhandled into the backboards instead of moving the puck into appropriate places.

 

[Dark Shadows]

Actually ya.

Mario Lemieux with Gretzky's "hockey sense/radar" and Doug Gilmour's heart.

Now that would be unstoppable.


A genetically engineered T. Fleury/D. Gilmour/Gretzky/Lemieux/Bure/Neely combo would be sick.

Lemieux always had the hockey sense and eyes in the back of his head and the knowledge of what to do next(Although nobody ever had it in the same level Gretzky did). What was missing in the early years for Lemieux was the heart and dedication he later learned from playing with Gretzky and winning the gold.

He personally marks that as the turning point in his career. Seeing just how hard Gretzky worked and put his all into it every practice and every shift.

Soon after, Lemieux was hitting much larger numbers. Injuries and a lot of bad luck of course maimed what could have been.

 

[Rhiessan71]

Just watch some Minnesota Wild games.

Naw, as good as his "little" brother is, Saku was better.
Saku with Mikko's size and health would of easily been a 100+ point player in his sleep.

In Saku's second year he was leading the league in scoring with 38 points in 28 games, well on his way to over 100 points before some marginal scrub stuck his knee out on him.

Saku had major surgery on both knees and his bout with Cancer before his 28th birthday for pete's sake.

 

[greatgazoo]

Mario Lemieux without cigarettes...